Sustained, My Love!
Must Be A Some Fool..
Arthur Road Jail, Central Mumbai
Two constables drag a man in a faded shirt and jeans out of the back. His hands are cuffed, but he’s laughing casually.....
Viraj
It’s looking quite different from before. Did you renovate this place?
Police
Keep quite and move..
Viraj
Why so serious, sir? you should be happy... After all, you caught me again. Your promotion is guaranteed, sir.
The police roughly pushed Viraj into the jail cell and locked the door behind him....
Viraj
(stretching lazily ) Hayee… The same breeze, the same place.... I can’t live without you, and you can not live without me...
After some time at prison mess
The room buzzes with noise. Steel plates scraping, voices clashing..
Viraj
(Holding a plate in his hand)
Come on, add a little more. What will go wrong if I eat a little extra?
Then the man served him more food.
Viraj grabbed his tray, and walk while scanning the room lazily. Then he stops....
At the far corner, a man sits alone on a bench.... Viraj walk towards him
Viraj
Arre baap re! who the hell do I see here?
Viraj
The legendary Suhas Khatri himself, the king of Mumbai's business world, sitting in this dump like a common crook....
Pulling the bench back and sitting without permission
Viraj
Sir ji, namaste! (joins his hands mockingly) I swear, I thought the newspapers were lying....
Suhas eats slowly, unfazed
Viraj
What do these police think of themselves? They just lock anyone up..
Viraj
They have no sense at all. How can they keep you here like this, among ordinary people? For someone like you, they should have arranged a special room....
Viraj
You are a guiding light for us small people Sir ji... It feels really bad to see you here in this condition.. Truly from the bottom of my heart..
Viraj
If people like you start getting locked up, how will things run?
Viraj
If crime starts ending like this, sir ji… how will the world ever progress?
Suhas Khatri
(finally looks up, his gaze sharp)
Who are you?
Viraj
I’ve heard so much about you... I’ve done many works by watching and learning from you
Viraj
I had long wished to meet you, Sir ji.. but I never thought it would be in a situation like this.
Viraj
I sincerely request you, Sir ji.... Please take me into your gang...
Viraj
As long as I’m around, no one will dare to lay a hand on you. Together, we will rule Mumbai.
Suhas’s jaw tightened. He stood up slowly, Without another word, he walked away, disappearing into the moving crowd of prisoners.
Viraj watched him go, his smile never fading
Viraj
(smirks)Whoever picked a fight with him must be a some fool..
He picked up his spoon, stirring his food lazily and start to eat...
The Change..
Life, as always, had learned how to move forward
Mumbai kept walking through traffic that refused to breathe, through pollution that clung to the skin like an unspoken burden, through millions of lives packed so close that even loneliness had learned to survive in crowds...
Somewhere between honking horns and hurried footsteps, secrets lived comfortably. The City had always been good at that hiding stories in plain sight.
And this damn rain.. Arriving out of season, courtesy of global warming...
At "Literary Vision Magzine "
Antara and Shashwati are seated close together at Antara’s desk, the printed draft of Antara’s latest article spread out in front of them. Shashwati has a red pen in hand, circling and underlining as they talk...
Ms. Shashwati
(tapping a paragraph) This section here, Antara...
Ms. Shashwati
Where you describe how families lived jointly two generations ago it is strong, nostalgic without being sentimental...
Ms. Shashwati
But the transition to today’s nuclear setups feels a little sharp. Soften it. Show the gradual shift, maybe add more examples of how society is growing..
Antara Parekh(FL)
Yes.... I do that.
Ms. Shashwati
And in the concluding part, when you say the world has changed completely… don’t end on such a final note.
Ms. Shashwati
Mention how society is still evolving?how we’re learning to build new kinds of things..
Antara Parekh(FL)
I understand. I’ll rework the ending tonight.
Ms. Shashwati
This is...... The change… it’s the only constant, isn’t it? We have to keep adapting, learning new things, or we get left behind...
Antara Parekh(FL)
True. Sometimes it’s scary, but resisting it only makes it harder....
Antara Parekh(FL)
Change is difficult to accept at first, but slowly we grow used to it as we begin to understand it. That’s how the world moves forward....
Ms. Shashwati
(gazing thoughtfully at the draft, voice softening) Exactly. Life keeps pushing us to accept new things, new people, new realities...
Ms. Shashwati
I see so much optimism in the younger generation
Ms. Shashwati
You all embrace technology, new ideas, new freedoms so easily. It gives me hope.
Ms. Shashwati
I have a daughter… about two years younger than you
Ms. Shashwati
She’s like that too... full of optimism, always looking forward, believing the world will keep getting better.
Antara listens quietly, her usual quick responses stilled. She simply looks at Shashwati with gentle understanding, letting the words hang in the air without interruption...
Ms. Shashwati
She’s all I have.
(quietly)
And I’m all she has....
Ms. Shashwati
I’m very careful with her... Not because she’s weak… but because the world can be...
Ms. Shashwati
(Smiles faintly)
When you’re the only person someone can rely on, you learn to stay alert...
Antara Parekh(FL)
She’s lucky to have you.
Ms. Shashwati
(correcting)
We’re lucky to have each other.
Ms. Shashwati
(after a moment, exhaling softly) Anyway… enough of my thoughts. Revise this tonight, send it by morning?
Antara Parekh(FL)
(softly) I will, Mam.
Outside Antara’s office building
Antara steps out of the building, sling bag on her shoulder. She stretches her arms wide, rolling her neck
Antara Parekh(FL)
(looking up at the sky, smiling to herself)
Ahhh… this freedom after office work.
Antara Parekh(FL)
Nothing could be better than this..
She takes a deep breath, lost in her own happiness, then walks toward the roadside, waiting to cross
A gust of wind passes by... A shiver run through her. She crosses her arms tightly around herself..
Antara Parekh(FL)
(murmures)
This evening chill...
Antara Parekh(FL)
(Looking at the puddle of water below)
And even in such cold weather, this untimely rain..
Suddenly, a car speeds past. The tyres cut through a puddle near the road, sending a massive splash of muddy water straight onto her.
Antara Parekh(FL)
AHHHHH....
Antara Parekh(FL)
( looks down at her soaked clothes in disbelief)
GREAT.. Just great
Antara Parekh(FL)
Just look at my luck..
Antara Parekh(FL)
I complained about the rain just a little, and the universe decided to splash water straight on me...
Signal Turns The Red..
Antara entered the house, with damp clothes, her mood visibly worse. Her mother-in-law looked up from the living room the moment she saw her.
Manorama Parekh(Ml's Mother)
Antara! What happened to you?
Manorama Parekh(Ml's Mother)
Why are your clothes like this? Did you fall somewhere? Into water?
Antara Parekh(FL)
(dryly)
I was just standing beside the road very peacefully
Antara Parekh(FL)
And suddenly, a car came at full speed and splashed all the water on me
Manorama Parekh(Ml's Mother)
Hai Prabhu...
(Oh God…...)
Antara Parekh(FL)
Aur dhyan se dekha toh...
(And when I looked properly…)
Antara Parekh(FL)
Aapni ghar ki hi gaadi thi....
(It turned out to be our own house’s car)
Antara Parekh(FL)
Aapke nawabzade bete...
(Your son)
At that exact moment, Ram appeared from behind, already sensing danger.
Antara slowly turned toward him. Her glare could have cracked the glass
Ram Parekh(ML)
What's going on here? Why are you both looking at me like that?
Antara Parekh(FL)
(looked at him sharply)
Haah.. Just look at his innocent face!
Antara Parekh(FL)
In this freezing weather, you splashed water on me
Ram Parekh(ML)
Freezing weather in Mumbai? Really!
Antara Parekh(FL)
A person can’t even complain about feeling cold now....
Ram Parekh(ML)
I swear, it was an accident
Ram Parekh(ML)
Antara, the entire ride only I speak and keep saying only one word...
Ram Parekh(ML)
Sorry.. Sorry.. Sorry..
Ram Parekh(ML)
And I even gave you my precious coat
Ram Parekh(ML)
It is you who threw it back at me..
Manorama Parekh(Ml's Mother)
Ram... Antara is right. The mistake is yours, and you should apologize
Ram Parekh(ML)
Then what was I doing all this time, cursing?
Manorama Parekh(Ml's Mother)
(Smacks Ram's arm slightly)Enough...
Ram Parekh(ML)
To himself : This women's... seriously
Manorama Parekh(Ml's Mother)
(to Antara)
Antara, go and change first. You’ll catch a cold like this....
Antara nodded, then paused, turning back toward Ram.
Antara Parekh(FL)
Precious coat… and even more precious car. Why don’t you just marry your car and your suit?
She walked away toward the bedroom. Ram followed behind her immediately...
Ram Parekh(ML)
Antara, come on.
Ram Parekh(ML)
I came to pick you up... when my gaze was fixed on you alone, how could I have looked at the puddle..
Antara stopped mid-step in staircase.. Slowly, she turned toward him.
Antara Parekh(FL)
Technically you should have been looking straight ahead on the road...
Antara Parekh(FL)
That’s why there are so many accidents...
Antara Parekh(FL)
I seriously don't understand how your driving license is still valid..
She turned back without waiting for his reply and continued walking
Ram Parekh(ML)
Antara... My sweetheart
No response... She climbed faster, clearly done with him.
Ram Parekh(ML)
Aree meri RTO ki Rulebook...
(My traffice rulebook)
Ram Parekh(ML)
Meri traffic signal pole...
(My traffic signal pole)
Ram Parekh(ML)
Signal turns the red...
Ram Parekh(ML)
Green kab milega, madam?
Antara disappeared into the room. Ram followed, grinning... because he knew, sooner or later, that traffic light would turn green.
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